


Note from the Inquisitorial Archives #1

by professorplum221



Series: Notes from the Inquisitorial Archives [1]
Category: Warhammer 40.000, Warhammer 40k (Novels) - Various Authors
Genre: F/M, Non-Explicit Sex, Smoking, Threats of Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-28
Updated: 2020-11-28
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:41:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,335
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27752479
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/professorplum221/pseuds/professorplum221
Summary: Excerpt from the personal documents of Inquisitor Amberley Vail
Relationships: (mentioned) - Relationship, Ciaphas Cain/Amberley Vail, Ciaphas Cain/Ferik Jurgen
Series: Notes from the Inquisitorial Archives [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2043088
Kudos: 11





	Note from the Inquisitorial Archives #1

_ Archival note: The following fragment was discovered among several documents relating to Inquisitor Amberley Vail's efforts to edit Commissar Ciaphas Cain's unpublished memoirs. As it appears to be unfinished and uncatalogued, she evidently decided against including it in the Cain files. However, I have elected to make it available elsewhere in the archive, as I believe it has some value in the context it provides about the relationship between these two significant figures in Imperial history. _

_ \- Underscribe P. Plumb, 136.M42 _

"Why is it always caves and tunnels with you and your suicide missions?" Commissar Ciaphas Cain replied as the two of us emerged from the planet's depths into a dense forest.

"Appealing places for the enemies of the Emperor to hide, I suppose," I answered. "And you have such a particular talent for navigating them."

"I wish I had never told you that, so that you'd stop recruiting me for these things. I thought I was done for when we got separated from Jurgen and the others."

He threw himself down onto the grass, and I sat next to him, noticing a subtle trembling in his hands that indicated how frightened he had really been. Despite how well I knew him, it still sometimes surprised me to realize the extent to which he feared for his own life at the first hint of combat, and consequently tried to avoid it whenever he could. He was so skilled at it, and so effective at displaying an entirely false confidence about it in front of other people, that it was easy to fall back into believing in the image of him as a hardened warrior without thinking about it.

"It didn't seem like too much for you to handle to me." I shrugged to affect a lack of concern, suspecting that he wouldn't appreciate me showing any genuine worry for his well being.

He turned to me and shook his head, his characteristic sardonic smile returning to his face. "One of these days, I'm going to shoot you, Amberley, and likely add several decades to my lifespan in the process."

"Murder a member of the Emperor's Holy Inquisition in cold blood?" I replied, a similarly bemused expression no doubt flitting across my own face. "You wouldn't dare."

"You're forgetting that I'm a Hero of the Imperium. All I'd have to do is make up a story about why it was necessary—you had been corrupted by the forces of Chaos, perhaps—and they'd probably give me a medal for putting a lasbolt between your eyes."

He raised his hand and brushed his index finger across my forehead, as if to indicate where he was planning to aim. I couldn't help but blush.

"I should have you brought up on charges of treason just for joking about that."

"Treason isn't your department. And anyway, who says I'm joking?"

"Well, if you're serious, why don't you do it now? We're all alone here. It will take Jurgen and the others ages to catch up with us."

I gestured to the acres of uninhabited forest surrounding us, and his smile widened.

"On second thought, I have a much better idea about what I'm going to do to you." He pulled me toward him as he spoke, our lips meeting with equal enthusiasm the moment he finished his sentence.

I feel that I should note somewhere, for the historical record, that Ciaphas Cain's physical appearance was markedly different from most artistic depictions of him that I've seen. The Imperial Guard recruitment posters that feature his likeness, for instance, practically make him out to look like one of the Adeptus Astartes with the incredible height and muscle mass that they see fit to give him. However, these exaggerated images were likely originally rooted in some small kernel of truth, as he was indeed quite tall—and unbuttoning his heavy commissar's greatcoat, as I did with our bodies pressed against each other in that forest, did reveal an impressively strong and firm chest.

I suspect these physical qualities were another one of the many assets which helped him excel in his career, as it seems probably that several of the important people he worked with—including several of the women in the Valhallan 597th—were more likely to be swayed by his rhetoric due to finding him irresistibly attractive. I'll admit it was certainly a sentiment I shared. With anyone else, I might have protested about our location out of doors, where any hapless passer-by might stumble across us—but since it was him, I was perfectly happy to let him slide one of his hands underneath my inquisitorial robes.

Ciaphas Cain had lost two fingers on his dominant hand early in his career, and the augmetic replacements—while perfectly functional in battle—lacked some of the warmth and dexterity of their natural counterparts. The result was that whenever he touched me, I was keenly aware of a contrast between two sides of his hand—not that I minded, of course. It was among his many unique and unforgettable qualities, and one that seemed to particularly suit him and his multi-faceted personality.

And besides, he more than made up for the qualities the augmetic fingers lacked by knowing how to use them.

_Archival note:_ _At this point, a fairly substantial section of the original handwritten document appears to have been hastily crossed out. Considering its content, I might venture a guess that Inquisitor Vail became embarrassed about what she had written. Researchers seeking further detail may thus be disappointed that the legible parts of the document appear to resume after the "action," so to speak, has concluded._

"Do you regret going on this mission a little less now?" I asked as we lay together in the cool grass.

"Not in the slightest," he said, reaching for the crumpled pile of clothes next to us. "We could have just done this hours ago and saved ourselves the 'almost getting killed' section of the excursion."

I was slightly surprised to notice him lighting him an Iho-stick with an antique flame lighter from his discarded greatcoat pocket, as I had only ever known him to smoke very rarely—but the situation did indeed seem to call for it, and I was grateful that he passed it to me a moment later.

"Where do you suppose Jurgen ended up?" I wondered as I handed it back to him.

He shrugged. "He'll make it here eventually. He has a knack for finding me when necessary."

"What would you have said to him if he had caught up to us earlier than expected?" I asked, a hint of mischievousness in my tone.

He replied flatly. "You're assuming he would be at all shocked."

"What, you mean you've told him? Or—" I sat up to give myself a better look at his facial expression. "Don't tell me you and he—?"

Ciaphas gave no verbal response to my unfinished question, merely taking a long drag of his Iho-stick and raising his eyebrows.

I chuckled and lay back down in the grass. "I suppose I shouldn't be shocked either, with the amount of time you two spend together."

"It's really the least I can do for him, after the astonishing amount of times he's saved my life." He reached over to me to ruffle my hair. " _ You _ , on the other hand, continually insist on putting it in danger."

"Well, you're not exactly doing anything to disincentivize me, are you?"

"I thought we had established that murder in self-defense wasn't off the table."

I smiled. "Then I'll be sure to keep making it worth it for you to keep me alive."

_ Archival note: This rare example of Inquisitor Amberley Vail's personal writing ends here, providing no further detail about the rest of this interaction. However, judging the abundant records that can be found elsewhere in this archive about subsequent inquisitorial missions with which Commissar Cain assisted over their decades-long partnership, one can only imagine that she made it very worth it indeed. _

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you very much for reading!
> 
> I just got into Warhammer 40K very recently and I'm only on the third Ciaphas Cain book so far but I'm completely hooked. Please hit me up at the-unsleeping-bi.tumblr.com if you want to talk about how great these books are while I patiently wait for my friend to lend me more of the series.


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